Crypto-proto-neo-fascism, first from Phil Woolas, now from Gulam Noon. 10 year ban on immigration. How incredibly racist of him. I hope he’s vilified in the left wing press for his vile protocypto-ness, as everybody else is…

I was re-reading the epilogue to Niall Ferguson’s War of The World where talks of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa, on of the ports of entry for Sub Saharan immigrants to Europe. There are thousands of them living rough outside the two electrified fences patrolled by the Guardia Civil and everyso often, usually when the Moroccans start evicting them there is a rush at the fence.

Spain has had four amnesties in the last ten years and the migrants still come. There is a good description of how the trade is organised in the Searchlight Magazine. Go to http://www.searchlightmagazine.com and put terry fitzpatrick into archive.

Each time Spain has declared an amnesty there has been another fresh wave coming in through the Canaries or onto the beaches of southern Spain. Without any shadow of a doubt amnesties are seen as rewards for the financial and physical risks of getting to Europe.

As soon as the news reaches the home country cattle are sold and land mortgaged to pay the smugglers, there is simply no end to it. Everything has been tried. Spain is now broadcasting on local radio and TV stations all down the coast of West Africa telling people that there is no work for them to no avail. European aid is tied to countries taking back the deportees, there are Spanish police in countries like Mauritania and Senegal and a sophisticated heat detecting system can see crowds of people in the remote coastline of the Sahara desert but still they get through.

People have got to realise that we can also talk about failed continents as well as countries and Africa can fairly be described as failed. There are five hundred million people therewho all want to be somewhere else,like Europe. One amnesty will lead to more.

‘ashik (2) – Not sure exactly what it was, but my wife’s friend was given an exit stamp in her passport last weekend?’

It has only recently been reintroduced by NuLabour to again count ppl out of Britain. They got rid of it in 1998.

In a way it’s fair to both the state and applicants. Allows clients to show a good immigration history in favour of a refused appeal if other family members have returned to Bangladesh, India and Pak and equally lack of such evidence as a photocopy of exit stamps can also be followed up by the Home Office in subsequent appeals.

Governments can not and should not legislate for intent. What would you think about, say, carrying a concealed gun? Should intent be a factor there? People are either eligible to be in Britain or they are not. What is in their head at the time is rather beside the point to my mind. Further, motives and intent can change.

Amnesties are not an admission that entry rules need tightening, they are an admission that some have avoided enforcement. They are nothing less than a reward for breaking the law. In many cases this would be a reward for taking the piss.

Don, one reason my wife’s parents have to go through the la-la land that is the visa system is because of people who have overstayed/abused the system. If people did not abuse the system, it would not need to be so tight.

I can only agree with others that it is nice to hear something not giving immigrants grief – but arrant nonsense is arrant nonsense, refreshing or not.

Boris is right – most people who are illegal immigrants live in London and it is better they contribute towards London than are kept from contributing.

There have been amnesties for people in posession of illegal weapons, which I would say is rather more serious than being an illegal immigrant.

Getting into a country by the back door has always struck me as a pretty minor offense. If the circumstances were such, I’d do it without a qualm. What counts is your intent once you are there. If your intent is to work, support a family and generally get on with your neighbours then you should be given a chance to show it. An amnesty is more or less an admission that the entry rules need changing to allow in people who are willing and able to contribute.

If the recession leads to talk of a ‘crackdown’ I shall be dismayed. And I don’t care what the dictionary says, anybody using ‘illegal’ as a noun is beyond the pale.

So yes, an amnesty is a good idea, but only because the current rules don’t work. But I doubt we’ll get one.

I don’t think that Boris believes he is in charge of immigration policy. But it is nice to see a poltician actually standing up for immigrants for once. The importance is not so much in what might happen as what the words represent.

Are there any other crimes you feel should be prosecuted on an amnesty basis out of interest?

As to Johnson, well he knows he can talk about this all he likes without ever actually being responsible. It’s a big inverted pyramid of piffle.

ashik (2) – Not sure exactly what it was, but my wife’s friend was given an exit stamp in her passport last weekend?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2007/09/14/vanessa_podcast_feature.shtml

Top right-hand corner to listen again.

Immigrants are going to be everyones issue in a recession.

And Boris Johnson continues to impress me.